Two common forms of signage in retail and public-space settings include digital displays on the one hand, and printed graphics on the other. Digital displays are commonly based on LCDs, projectors, or other electronically addressable display systems, and provide an image by electrically addressing the display system.
Although digital displays can provide changing images and video, the high initial cost layout for purchasing the equipment and the onerous operational support required to provide power, video signals, and frequently updated content to the display detracts from advantages associated with their technical capabilities. Printed graphics have multiple advantages as compared with digital displays: they are typically much lower cost than digital displays, they may be very flat and conformable to surfaces, and they require no external power supply. Disadvantages include the limitations of the use experience—it is typically a non-interactive experience that can be easily ignored.